Discussion Of "Memorial Calendar of Leading Epicureans" For Observation During 20th Meetings

    ADMIN EDIT: The most recent version of this calendar is now at the link below. Please use this current thread you are reading for discussion and suggestions which will be incorporated into the final version at the link below:


    Memorial Calendar of Leading Epicureans - Epicureanfriends.com
    www.epicureanfriends.com


    It has been suggested that we come up with a plan to include in our regular 20th meetings a section devoted to remembering (1) Epicurus and Metrodorus, as per the instructions of Epicurus will, plus (2) that each month we make note of several (two maybe?) other Epicureans so that during the year we rotate through a longer list. The purpose of this thread is to solicit ideas on how to do this.


    Just to get the barrel rolling, here is an option to cover this each month:


    1. We say something about Epicurus and Metrodorus (every month as per will)
    2. We pick two from a list of prominent Epicureans (so as to regularly rotate through a list of maybe 24 names that everyone ought to know
    3. We pick one from a list of"obscure" Epicureans about whom we may not know much but which we know enough to make for an interesting mention.

    That would mean a "mention" of five people per month, which should go reasonably quickly if we keep each mention short.


    To do this I suggest we go through Nate's list of "Epicurean Philosophers" and pick the 24 most notable names for permanent rotation. We can set up a calendar for each of the twelve months and rotate the same list perpetually.


    We also then would pick out from the other names the ones we want to spotlight each month on a one-time basis.


    We then set all that up on a calendar and make it a regular part of each month's twentieth.


    How does this sound? Ideas welcome! For the first stab at this I am just going through Nate's list in order and picking our prominent names.


    File
    Epicurean Philosophers by Nathan H. Bartman
    A definitive list of our Epicurean friends throughout history.
    Nate


    Note: This version below has been superseded by the version here.


    MonthPrimaryMONTHLY HonoreeSpecial Mention
    JANEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Hermarchus
    Polyaenus    		Obscure
    Candidate 1
    FEBEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Polystratus
    Dionysius of Lamptrai    		Obscure 2
    MAREpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Zeno of Sidon
    Colotes of Lampsacus
    APRILEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Idomeneus of Lampsacus
    Leontion
    MAYEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Antiochus IV Epiphanes
    Diogenes of Oenoanda
    JUNEEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Lucian of Samosata
    Lucius Manlius Torquatus
    JULYEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Titus Pomponius Atticus
    Siro
    AUGEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Lucius Calpurnius Piso
    Philodemus
    SEPEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Gaius Cassius Longinus
    Quintos Horatius Flaccus
    OCTEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Titus Lucretius Carus
    Rabirius
    NOVEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Velleius
    Catius Insuber
    DECEpicurus
    Metrodorus    		Empress Pompeia Plotina

    I'd suggest the scholarchs of the Garden after Epicurus should be right near the beginning. I see you started it with Polystratus:

    • Scholarch (1st): HERMARCHUS* (c. 325 – 250 BCE) Scholarch from 270 to 250 BCE
    • Scholarch (2nd): POLYSTRATUS (c. 300 – 219/8 BCE) from 250 to 219/8 BCE
    • Scholarch (3rd): DIONYSIUS of LAMPTRAI (c. 280 – 205 BCE) from 219/8 to 205 BCE
    • Scholarch (4th): BASILIDES of TYRUS (c. 245 – 175 BCE) from 205 to 175 BCE
    • Scholarch (5th): PROTARCHUS of BARGHILIA (c. 225 – 150 BCE) from 175 to 150 BCE
    • Scholarch (6th): APOLLODORUS of ATHENS (c. 200 – 125 BCE) from 147 to 125 BCE
    • Scholarch (7th): ZENO of SIDON (c. 166 – 75 BCE) Scholarch from 125 to 75 BCE
    • Scholarch (8th): PHAEDRUS (c. 138 – 70/69 BCE) Scholarch from 75 to 70/69 BCE
    • Scholarch (9th): PATRO (c. 100 – 25 BCE) Scholarch from 70/69 to 51 BCE

    ...

    Scholarch (16ish): POPILLIUS THEOTIMUS (early 2nd-century CE)

    Scholarch (17ish): HELIODORUS (2nd-century CE) Hadrian writes him.

    Don I started off that way and agree with the sentiment but do we know much of anything about any of these except the first three? I am currently toying with the idea that it makes the most sense to pick 24 (two per month) about which something relatively substantive can be said so that we start to make people aware of a top tier list first, then also add the lesser known names even if we know only a little about them.


    So if we do Epicurus and Metrodorus as specified, and add two more per month, that means we need to come up with a list of "top 24 significant Epicureans to remember."

    How many of the school heads are we able to do that for?

    I suggest Lucretius for October. Donatus writes;


    Quote

    The first years of his life Virgil spent in Cremona until the assumption of his toga virilis on his 17th birthday [traditionally October 15th] (when the same two men held the consulate as when he was born), and it so happened that on the very same day Lucretius the poet passed away."

    I don't care if it's spurious and internally inconsistent; it's ancient (possibly deriving from as early as Seutonius), which makes October 15th "Lucretius Day" in my universe!

    Quote from Cassius

    Don I started off that way and agree with the sentiment but do we know much of anything about any of these except the first three? I am currently toying with the idea that it makes the most sense to pick 24 (two per month) about which something relatively substantive can be said so that we start to make people aware of a top tier list first, then also add the lesser known names even if we know only a little about them.


    So if we do Epicurus and Metrodorus as specified, and add two more per month, that means we need to come up with a list of "top 24 significant Epicureans to remember."

    How many of the school heads are we able to do that for?

    Excellent points! Let me give it a little more thought in light of that. Thanks!!

    Some of my suggestions:

    • Apollodorus the Epicurean - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollodorus_the_Epicurean
    • Phaedrus - 8th scholarch, and known to Cicero and Atticus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaedrus_the_Epicurean
    • "Cicero wrote to Atticus requesting Phaedrus' essay On gods (Greek: Περὶ θεῶν). Cicero used this work to aid his composition of the first book of the De Natura Deorum. Not only did he develop his account of Epicurean doctrine using it, but also the account of the doctrines of earlier philosophers."
    • Leonteus of Lampsacus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonteus_of_Lampsacus
    • Leontium (wife of Metrodorus): wrote against Theophrastus https://en.wikisource.org/wiki…Female_Biography/Leontium (Oh! You have her in April.)
    • Patro (scholarch of the Garden): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patro_the_Epicurean Wrote to Cicero, asking that he intercede on behalf of saving Epicurus's house
    • The unnamed Epicureans mentioned in Acts 17:18-34 who stood up to Paul:
      • A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.”... When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
        • I could see the Epicureans "sneering" about the resurrection of the dead! For context, this would have been around 49/50 CE.
    • DEMETRIUS LACON (1st-century BCE) Founded Milesian school; taught Philodemus - we have a number of his works mentioned and in fragmentary form. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_Lacon
    • Palladas of Alexandria - epigrammatist and Epicurean (in the tradition of Philodemus??) (academic thesis: Death, Delight, and Destitution: What Sort of Epicurean was Palladas of Alexandria? Nikpour, Rodmanned Arya (Author). Within the vast array of classical literature, many authors still have not been thoroughly examined. Among these, Palladas of Alexandria, a prominent epigrammatist in the Palatine Anthology, seems to import Epicurean themes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladas Could be jury still out on whether he was actually Epicurean... but if he was he was very late... one of the last holdouts!

    Excellent suggestions all both as to content and timing! That's exactly the way we need to put this together, with a list of 24 annotated to give us something to say about them, then we add a unique one as we go.